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The NFL is in the middle of their free agency period, with teams signing available veteran players. At the same time, NCAA basketball is in the middle of their tournament, with March Madness narrowing down to the Final Four this weekend. Combine the two ideas, and we come up with today's bracket for the Miami Dolphins' all-time best free agent signings:
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Over the next few days, we will work out way through the bracket, with the results based on your vote.
Our third match-up involves two who did some important things for the Dolphins, and did them well: kicker Olindo Mare and fullback Lousaka Polite.
Mare signed as a free agent with the Dolphins before the 1997 season, having spent his rookie season the year before on the New York Giants' practice squad. Known as a kicker with a huge leg, but with accuracy issues, Mare played for the Dolphins for 10 seasons. He originally pushed Joe Nedney off the team's roster, then a decade later saw something similar happen to him as Miami traded him to the New Orleans Saints as Miami turned to Jay Feely as their kicker. In his ten seasons with the Dolphins, Mare connected on 80.9-percent of his field goal attempts and 98.4-percent of his extra points, scoring 1,048 points - a team record he still holds. Mare led the league in field goal attempts and makes in 1999, and in field goal percentage with a 90.5-percent connection rate in 2001. He was also named to the Pro Bowl and was a First-Team All-Pro selection in 1999. Mare also had 11 punts with the Dolphins, averaging 37.5 yards per kick.
Polite joined the Dolphins in 2008, after a brief stint with the Chicago Bears. He immediately found success with Miami, working as a blocking fullback and the team's short-yardage specialist. In 2008, Polite converted 11 of 12 3rd- or 4th-down and one attempts. He was 16-for-16 in 2009 in the same situation, then 14-for-15 in 2010. If Miami needed one yard, the "Lousaka Monster" was going to pick it up. In three seasons with the Dolphins, Polite played in 43 games, carrying the ball 86 times for 270 yards, with one touchdown. He also recorded 28 receptions for 136 yards.
Which of the two will be moving on to the second round of our bracket?